Thursday, October 29, 2009

Autumn

I love this time of year! I look forward to Autumn every year, anxious for all it has to bring us.

Last weekend we took the kids to a pumpkin patch and apple orchard, to do the obvious, pick apples and pumpkins. It was a perfect Wisconsin Fall day. The air was crisp, the sun was shining. We were able to wear sweaters without coats, and remain comfortable. The farm we visited provided a hay ride to the orchard and patch. My kids had a great time, so did Eric and I. I was able to take some priceless photos, even turned one of them into a Halloween card for family. We purchased some apples and a world famous Apple Pie in a Brown Bag. It was delicious, although not very frugal, one of those treats in life that prove to be worth the extra money. When we got home I made a roast chicken with roasted root vegetables. The day ended with the perfect Autumnal meal. This is the best time of year for our CSA vegetables. I love the summer bounty of tomatoes and peppers, but nothing tastes better on cold nights than squash or parsnips.

Today, my kids are off of school, so I decided to take advantage of another fall activity. The corn maze. We went with another family, split the kids up into teams of boys and girls and then let them loose. Thankfully the maze had a lookout with flags so that if the kids got lost they could see the flags and go to that location without being scared. My friend and I parked ourselves on that lookout and let the kids find their way out. It took them one hour and they had blast! Worth every penny. I will be the first person to say that I do not like the little petting zoos at the road side corn mazes. First of all, I think it is wrong to have goats and peacocks caged up to be over fed and tortured by small children. Second, they are little germ factories. Every time I see one of my kids touch one of those animals I pull out the antibacterial gel. The animals are very cute, but what purpose does it serve to have them at these locations?

Tomorrow my son will have tubes put into his ears and his adenoids removed. He has a habit of getting killer ear infections every winter. Now that he is in middle school, we felt that it is time to end the infections so that he does not miss a lot of school. I am worried that he will not feel up to trick or treating on Saturday night. I know that soon, he will announce to us that he is past the age of Halloween. I am not sure I am ready for that proclamation quite yet.

This year I ordered my kids costumes online. I just did not have the time to go out and search the stores for the costumes they had their hearts set on. So, I found a coupon code for an online store, they found what they wanted and I did not have to waste gas and time searching. Because I spent more than I had planned on, I told them they will wear the same thing next year. Surprisingly, they were all fine with that. Sometimes I don't give my kids enough credit for being reasonable in these situations.

As I write this, I am looking forward to a quiet fall evening. I am hoping my husband will light a fire and we can watch a movie. My youngest is a sleepover for a birthday party, my middle child is tired from a sleepover last night and my oldest needs to turn in early in preparation of tomorrow's surgery. It seems likely that it will be a quiet night in this house. Perfect for a date night with my hubby and a glass of wine.

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